Walk a Mile
by YeIIow Diamond
Summary: Anakin awakes to see Padme had been watching him. She says she had a dream of him dying- Wait, what?
1. Stirring

Title: **STAR WARS: Episode 3 AU: Walk a Mile**

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One-Shot idea I came up with. May add more chapters eventually, but just something I wanted to post.

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Sleep was something that rarely came to him. It was usually interrupted by dreams. Images of strange events that, from his experience seemed to manifest one way or another.

So it felt almost...unreal, that he'd had a good night's rest. Something that felt as alien to him as say, understanding politics. No nightmares, no dreams of Padme...Simply put, he couldn't remember the last time he'd had a dreamless sleep. He simply lay there for several more moments then took a few deep breaths, not yet forcing himself to rise from the bed. The feeling was euphoric.

Slowly, he opened his eyes, allowing slivers of light to reach towards him through the window.

He was awake, but he still lay prone, taking some small comfort from the mattress' embrace. He turned his head towards his left. He'd expected his wife, but the spot was empty. The concept of her awakening before him struck him as odd as he slowly sat up in the bed, stretching his arms.

"Sleep well?"

He recognized it as Padme's soothing voice and he turned instead to his right this time.

Anakin blinked, having to process what he was seeing.

His wife was already dressed, seated next to the bed on a chair but that's not what left him bewildered. She wore a dark tunic that looked a lot like Jedi attire with matching boots. And was that a _lightsaber_ clipped to her belt? He instinctively knew it wasn't his uniform because it fit her just right. There was no way he'd be able to wear that. Demanding questions were on the tip of his tongue, to ask about why she was wearing _Jedi_ clothing and _what is this_ , but his planned inquiries died in his throat at the look on her face. She hadn't yet looked at him, but she could see bags under her eyes which were half lidded, as if she hadn't gotten enough sleep. Her hands were clasped together and she seemed to be idly watching the Coruscanti traffic through the window behind him.

"Are you alright?" he settled on asking. He'd figured he'd find out about the strange sight of Padme wearing Jedi clothes soon enough anyway.

His wife seemed to wince at his choice of words, glancing briefly at him before pointedly returning gaze to the window.

"Nothing. I just had a dream."

Why did this sound so familiar?

Anakin wanted to ask if this was some kind of a joke, but the downcast expression on Padme's face, the tiredness, he doubted that could be faked.

Casually, he moved from his prone position so that he'd be seated parallel to Padme.

Swallowing nervously, Anakin cleared his throat. "What was it about?" he asked. This morning had gotten strange the moment he'd seen Padme and he had a faint but incredulous idea of what she might say.

"I..." Padme seemed conflicted on whether to reveal what she'd seen, but she noticed Anakin's intent expression. "I dreamed of you dying. You were struggling to breathe and," Padme paused and sniffed, breaking eye contact with him. "You looked so terribly hurt."

Anakin frowned, looking off to the side in an attempt to gather his thoughts. Usually, he did not like meditation, but he did usually reach out to the force for guidance.

He furrowed his brow. The Force seemed to be oddly...silent. There was no other word he could think of to describe it. He refocused his sight on Padme, who still looked extremely miserable. Knowing nothing else to do, he shifted over to her, hugging her from behind.

"It's alright, I'll be fine," he assured her, although he did not feel the same. More and more questions were stacking over each other in his mind. What was going on? Why was Padme clothed like a Jedi? Why was the Force not answering him?

"It's not alright," Padme disagreed, holding onto Anakin's hand almost possessively and breaking his concentration. He belatedly realized one of her hands was gloved. His eyes looked at his own.

They were both flesh and blood.

Did that mean?

This whole situation did not sit right with him. Before he could say anything else, the distinct sound of a comlink sounded somewhere on Padme's tunic.

She sighed, gently removing Anakin's arms from around her and stood up. "I have to go," she said almost apologetically.

"Where are you going," Anakin idly asked, although he feared he might already know the answer.

"Most likely a mission," Padme shrugged. "Obi-Wan will probably chew me out if i'm late." She pecked him on the cheek and headed towards the door. Anakin was starnig at the floor, a million thoughts running through his head.

"Will you be at the Senate?"

It took a second for Anakin to realize that he wasn't the on who asked that question. It was Padme.

 _What?_

"I-I'll have to check," he said quickly, unsure how to even properly respond to such a question. Padme nodded and stepped through the door.

Once Padme was gone, Anakin held his head in his hand.

At this point, only one question burned through his mind.

"What in Sith hell is going on?"


	2. Staggering

Title: **STAR WARS: Episode 3 AU: Walk a Mile**

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Well, I decided to post another chapter. Thanks for those reviews. I could never find a Star Wars story where Anakin and Padme's roles are switched, so I made one.

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The first couple of hours after Padme departed the apartment at 500 Republica -which was his, apparently- he had moved to stand in front of the window, gazing out at the Coruscanti traffic with his hands clasped behind his back. Repeatedly, he'd tried to reach out with the force, but it would not answer his call. As if he was suddenly unworthy of it's attention.

And then there was Padme.

He could have sworn she'd waved the door closed as she left...

Everything was all _wrong_.

His face had scrunched up in frustrated anger at this line of thinking, but encouraged himself to calm down. It was more difficult and didn't feel as natural, as he couldn't release his frustration into the force. He had to just ignore it somewhat, which left him feeling only more frustrated. But he took a breath and released it. He looked away from the window, unclasping his hands. He needed to find out what exactly was going on. The obvious first step should be to seek advice from a Jedi Master. Perhaps Yoda could help him understand what was going on?

Anakin began to pace back and forth, his increasingly frantic steps mirroring his state of mind. A stream of consciousness brainstorming new suggestions then shooting them down just as quickly.

Yoda would probably not be a good first idea. He was certain that he wouldn't be allowed inside the temple. What if the cause of the force being silent was due to him somehow not even being Force Sensitive..?

That line of thought was valid but terrifying nonetheless. For a Jedi to suddenly be blind to the force was like losing an arm. One lost an integral part of what made them...them.

Maybe he could confide in the chancellor? Palpatine hadn't proven to be at all force sensitive, but he was almost like a father he never had. Perhaps he could offer some advice.

It was with this conclusion that he decided to look for the landing pad to take a speeder towards the Chanellor's Office.

After closing the door behind him, he was was caught off guard by a voice from behind him. Apparently, he and Padme weren't the only occupants of the apartment. He turned to see a woman in muted red garbs that greatly reminded him of Padme's handmaidens. In fact, the woman had a passing resemblance to his wife.

"Sir?" she repeated, drawing his attention back to her. "You usually don't leave the building without your security escort."

 _I have a security escort?_ was Anakin's first thought.

"I need an escort?" he asked instead, so as not to betray the fact that he had no idea how his life suddenly functioned on a daily basis. Belatedly, he realized he had handmaidens working for him. Did this mean his life was now a mirror of Padme's back in reality? He was still unsure if this was all some sort of elaborate vision from the force. His musing was cut short with the woman's almost lilting laughter. She merely shook her head.

"Just wait for Captain Typho," she suggested sternly.

Anakin nodded dumbly, a bit unused to speaking so casually with Padme's, or rather his, handmaidens.

"Are you feeling well?"

Anakin returned his attention to the handmaiden. What was her name? Dorme, was it? "I'm fine, thank you," he assured her with a single nod of his head. It must not have been a very convincing display. She watched him skeptically a moment, before nodding and heading towards the commons room.

Anakin exhaled through his nose, unconsciously beginning to pace back and forth. During one of his short lulls in pacing, there was a knock at the door. Anakin opened the door, noticing that it was the aforementioned Captain. Once the door had opened, Typho stood at a relaxed military posture, his hands folded in front of him at the waist.

"Where will you be headed, sir?"

"Chancellor's office, please," he replied, heading for the landing pad once again. This time he wasn't stopped by anyone, yet Typho and a small detail of his officers created a loose border around him. The thought that he was the one needing protecting left a bitter taste in his mouth, but he ignored the feeling, focusing on his self appointed task. After exiting the lift and onto the landing pad, he quickly slipped into the passenger seat to at least use the opportunity to meditate. Perhaps not a force assisted one, but to rest his eyes for a few moments while the trip was made.

He let his mind wander as the speeder continued on it's route. What exactly should he tell the Chancellor? What should he ask him? First, he would need to know how different this...reality...was from his own. Perhaps if he just dialogued with him as if requesting an update on the war situation? That could work.

He let himself waver between alertness and unconsciousness until his Chauffer notified him that they had reached their destination.

Disembarking from the speeder, Anakin strode quickly into the building housing the chancellor's office, much to the chagrin of his security escort, who quickly followed after him.

Before he was transported to this backwards reality, he was just beginning to experience dreams of Padme dying in childbirth. The thought tugged at his heart and he sincerely hoped that Padme would be safe until he returned.

If he ever found a way how to.

But he forced himself not to think about the factors not under his control. Exhaling after a deep breath, he stopped at the receptionist desk just short of the Chancellor's office, noticing a Twi'lek seated there typing away at a datascreen.

He cleared his throat as politely as possible to draw her attention. The receptionist looked up, suppressing a smile once recognizing him.

"Oh, Senator Skywalker, nice to see you," she greeted, her gaze lingering on him just long enough to be almost uncomfortable. He coughed self-consciously.

"I'm here to see the Chancellor", he replied.

"One moment please," the woman said before turning to her comlink. Anakin took a seat behind him, resting his elbows on his knees as he waited.

And waited.

...

The receptionist spoke up, nearly startling Anakin, as absorbed in his thoughts he was.

"I'm so sorry for the extended wait," she said, raising her hand in what seemed to be a placating gesture. "The Chancellor is awfully busy today. You wouldn't mind returning tomorrow?" Her expression was almost apologetic.

Anakin sighed softly, quietly enough that the woman before her wouldn't notice. He nodded deliberately, indicating his acknowledgement. As he slowly stood up, he stretched his back, not realizing how long he'd been seated.

A spike of frustration surged through him, uninvited, though he squashed it as soon as it appeared.

This had never happened before. The chancellor _always_ made time for him. He was one of two people in his whole life that was like a father to him. He _always_ made time. But...

This wasn't his reality. Perhaps he was being naïve to think that things would be the same here. However, something about the concept didn't sit right with him.

He just didn't know what it was.

He nodded again, uttering a thanks, before stepping back out of the door. Expectedly, Typho and the rest of the detail had been waiting at the side of the door, effortlessly recreating the loose border of men around Skywalker just like earlier.

As he stepped into the speeder, he had a feeling that he was actively being avoided by the good Chancellor, as ridiculous as the notion was. This was only his first attempt, after all. He was indeed a busy man.

Besides, it's not as if his feeling could be verified by the Force. It continued to ignore him.

As the speeder headed back towards the 500 Republica district, his thoughts began to wander towards Padme. Both the Padme he knew and the one here. This _Jedi_ Padme. He swallowed and leaned his head against the window, a pang of loneliness seeming to seep through his heart and to the rest of his body.


End file.
